A few highlights from our trip

It has already been a full week since we returned from our extended trip to visit with Trav's parents in Phoenix, my entire family in Idaho, and then a couple of days in Salt Lake visiting friends and more family.  We had such a great time and since I can't possibly recount all of our experiences, I will just highlight a few that were particularly memorable.

We were lucky to jump in as flies on the wall to see what life is like for a fresh-on-the-job Mission President and it was great to see our beloved Nana and Papa taking such good care of the missionaries.  For those of you who don't know Paul, he has had a very successful career in the business world and is carrying over a lot of his acquired skills to make the mission run efficiently and to keep everyone on task.  Debbie is getting very good use out of her great sense of humor as the go-to woman for all things medical.  When I say all things, I mean all things.  She gets phone calls at all hours of the day and night for medical issues ranging from severe illness to questionable stool color.  (Travis and his younger brother Tyler, couldn't resist the temptation of calling in a few mysterious "medical issues" of their own.)  We had a great time and now we feel like we can appreciate what their day-to-day lives are really like.  

We decided to visit a place called "Rawhide" the first evening.  Its website sounded very promising with the allure of an authentic wild west street, gunfights, saloons, stagecoach rides, and a petting zoo among other kid-friendly entertainment.  

My kids obviously loved the petting zoo.  It had a very eclectic group of animals with these miniature goats as well as potbellied pigs, along with a lot of playground equipment.  Unfortunately, we were savagely attacked by killer mosquitos and had to flee to the safety of our car before we were able to enjoy the rest of the place.  

We also enjoyed the drastic change in scenery and climate from our green rolling hills and hot, sticky humidity.  We loved the palm trees, cool rock formations, and the dry sauna-like heat.

 A trip out to the Mesa Temple to see the beautiful grounds and visitors center 

It was a fun couple of days.  We were so glad that they were able to take a bit of time out of their busy schedule to entertain us and let us observe what it takes to do what they are doing.  They are fully committed to doing the Lord's work and taking care of the missionaries whose lives will forever be impacted by their leadership and service.